


When You Fall, I Fall

by littlebitlostandfound



Category: Six - Marlow/Moss
Genre: Divorce, F/F, Modern AU, Reconciliation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:14:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23768308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlebitlostandfound/pseuds/littlebitlostandfound
Summary: Anne visits Cathy and their daughters years after the divorce, opening old wounds.
Relationships: Anne Boleyn/Catherine Parr
Comments: 3
Kudos: 44





	When You Fall, I Fall

“You made it.”

Anne doesn’t meet her eyes, but rather hums in reply. 

“The girls have been asking, I didn’t want to—“ 

“Yeah, I understand. Come in, come in.” Cathy ushers her inside, and out of habit, helps Anne out of her coat.

Despite the warmth and the lived in feeling of her home, the tension grew with every second that passed and the weight that hung over them was almost unbearable. It was their first Christmas together in so long, they didn’t know where to begin again. 

“How’ve you been?” Cathy attempts to make small talk, tries to lighten their their collective load, but their girls run in and she feels a bit of relief. 

“Mum, mum, you’re here!” Liz and Mae exclaim, tackling Anne. She busies herself with them, brings Mae up in her arms— _when did she get so big_ —and they lead her by the Christmas tree, sitting her down and cuddling close. 

“We missed you, Mum, we’re so glad you could make it this year,” Liz smiles, resting her head on her shoulder. Anne leans down, steals a quick kiss on her forehead. Mae snuggles against her chest on her lap, her forehead settling perfectly in the crook of her neck. 

Liz and Mae take turns telling her what they’ve been up to, and Anne’s heart grips at how much she’s missing.

Cathy headed straight to the kitchen when she saw Anne preoccupied by the girls, and she distracts herself from her thoughts with cooking their lunch. She won’t let her mind drift off to happier times, drift off to late night dinners and 3am slow dances.

That’s behind her now. 

Cathy calls all of them to the table, and Mae won’t separate herself from Anne’s hold. She clings on, whimpering when Anne tries to coax her to stand. 

“Just hold,” Mae whispers into her clavicle, her arms linked around her neck like a vice grip. Anne holds her tight against her, burying her nose in her hair. 

“I’ve got you, love,” Anne whispers into her hairline. Cathy walks up to the both of them and offers to take Mae from her. 

“I can take her, if you want,” Cathy starts. “So you can eat properly.” 

“It’s alright, I can manage.”

Mealtime wasn’t as awkward as they had expected it to be. It almost feels like before, with the laughter and the stories and the love bursting on all sides. They clear up the table after a while and move the festivities to the living room. 

They let the girls open their gifts first, and Anne is surprised that Cathy has one for her, too. 

“I feel bad, I didn’t get you anything,” Anne stammers, fiddling with the ribbon on the present. Cathy simply shakes her head, gives her a small but nervous smile. 

“That’s alright, really, it’s okay. It’s, um, it’s nothing new.”

Anne opens the gift box and the flurry of emotions hit her all at once. On a simple chain hung her wedding band, the one she never thought she’d see again. She looks up and locks eyes with the woman she had loved over the years, and her bottom lip trembles. 

“You’ve kept it.” Anne’s voice was almost reverent. “After all this time.”

Cathy looks down at her hands, twisting and pulling at the matching band that rested on her finger. 

“It’s yours. It wasn’t mine to do away with, I thought I’d give you the liberty.”

“You still have yours on.” Anne notices, and Cathy’s cheeks flush. She feels tears prick at the corner of her eyes, and she raises her hand to wipe them away. Elizabeth notices this, and she leads Mae upstairs to play while giving their parents some time alone. 

“I never really took it off.” Cathy mumbles, her heart racing a million miles a minute. “Didn’t feel the need to.” 

“Cathy,” Anne starts gently. “We’re not together anymore.” 

“I know.” Cathy sighs, more tears falling. The Christmas playlist they had on over lunch had already finished, and a familiar song comes up on the speaker. Anne had always hated seeing her cry, and she thinks on her feet. 

“Come on, dance with me.” 

Anne holds out her hand, and Cathy takes it with a bit of hesitation. She brings her to her feet and they sway together in the living room. Cathy gently rests her head against Anne’s chest and in return, holds her closer, wrapping her arms around her waist. 

“I’ve forgotten what this felt like,” Cathy whispers. Anne puts her chin on top of Cathy’s head. “Being held. Feeling safe.” 

Anne gently pulls away at her admission, and they both miss the warmth immediately.

“Cathy, we can’t go back to before. You remember how much we fought.”

Cathy steps closer, hesitantly reaching out to hold her waist, balling a bit of Anne’s sweater in her fists. She has the girls and they’re the light of her life, but throughout the years, she’s never felt so lonely. 

“I’ve tried dating around, tried meeting new people. But I haven’t found anyone else who knew me like you did,” Cathy admits, baring her heart once more. “I promise I’ve tried, but my mind keeps coming back to you.” 

“You never told me.” Anne breathes, hot tears trailing down her cheeks. 

“I didn’t, I didn’t want to hold you back,” Cathy is gasping in between breaths now, and Anne’s arms ache to hold her close, but she settles with taking Cathy’s hands and intertwining them with hers. “Do you know how many times I’ve wanted to call? Even just so I could hear your voice—“ 

“Please stop.” 

Cathy’s voice breaks. “I keep thinking about the girls and they keep asking me when mum’s going to visit, if we could be a family again.” 

“What did you say?” Anne’s mouth worked faster than her brain. 

“I keep telling them that I don’t know,” Cathy sputters out, her hands gripping Anne’s like a lifeline. “I tell them that don’t know, that I’ll have to ask you.” 

Anne almost whimpers, and Cathy crumbles down to the floor, her arms wrapped around her middle as she sobs. Anne gets down on the ground and unwraps her from herself, transferring her arms around her neck.

“Shh, Cathy, breathe for me, please,” Anne chokes out, and Cathy clings tighter, her legs moving to wrap around her waist. “I need to tell you something.”

Cathy’s sobs cease for a bit, trying to regulate her breathing.

“When the girls had me this afternoon, when I carried Mae and she’s gotten so big since the last time I saw her, it didn’t settle with me. The not knowing what they’re up to. They’re my girls, too.” 

Cathy’s heart drops to her stomach. 

“Please don’t take them away from me,” A fresh batch of tears start to fall. “They’re, they’re—“ 

“Shh, Cathy, I’m not taking them, don’t worry,” Anne was quick to squash that idea in her head. She knew from the start that their girls would be ferociously protected because Cathy had always gone above and beyond. “I was saying that, the not knowing what they’re up to, that also applies to you. Not a day went by when I wasn’t thinking about what you’re doing or what you’re working on.”

“You never told me this,” Cathy sniffles, throwing back her retort. 

“I also didn’t want to hold you back. There are so many other people out there so deserving of your love, I’ve taken advantage of it and I knew I wasn’t worthy of it anymore when I left.” 

Cathy stares into her eyes for a long moment before touching her forehead against hers. She exhales deeply. 

“It’s yours. It’s always going to be yours.”


End file.
